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The Pig Idea Campaign Launched to Curb Food Waste

Andreas Klinke Johannsen/Flickr/ cc by-nc-sa 2.0

Food waste expert Tristram Stuart and the Feeding the 5000 team, in partnership with chef Thomasina Miers, announced on World Environment Day The Pig Idea, a new initiative that aims to encourage the use of food waste to feed pigs.

To mark World Environment Day 2013, The Pig Idea team launched a new campaign at London's Stepney City Farm, where for the next six months they will be rearing 8 pigs primarily on a diet of legally permissible food waste. In addition to diverting legally permissible food waste that is unfit for human consumption, the campaign calls for the lifting of the EU ban on the feeding of catering waste, or swill, to pigs.

Presently, pigs are being fed food that humans could otherwise eat, pushing the prices of food inexorably up (both for us and for pigs), putting pressure on world food supplies and contributing to global hunger.

Some supermarkets and major food retailers are already waking up to the issue of food waste and have begun sending their bakery and fruit and vegetable waste to become livestock feed. Businesses can save huge amounts of money dealing with their surplus stock in this way.

The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.